Berylson jets in to take charge of Millwall's manager hunt

MILLWALL chairman John Berylson is jetting into the UK today to take charge of the club's search for a new manager.

Berylson and the board will nail down a fixed set of criteria for the next Den boss during a series of face-to-face meetings over the weekend.

But Lions chief executive Andy Ambler has admitted it is possible that Neil Harris, currently overseeing first team affairs with Scott Fitzgerald, could be asked to take charge until the end of the season.

Harris has stated that he does not want the job on a permanent basis but the board may decide to promote internally if other candidates fail to impress.

"There is no point hiring a manager who is not an improvement on our caretaker," Ambler said. "Is there somebody out there who inspires us to go in a certain direction?

"We are watching how the players are reacting to Neil and Scott on a day-by-day basis, and I like what I've seen at the moment. The unity seems to be better."

One possible scenario is that Harris is given the reins working alongside a technical director.

"I do think that is an option," Ambler said. "Whether it's right for this club or not, we're not sure – we debated having a technical director in the summer and we'll discuss it again.

"If we were going to create that position, we wouldn't be looking for someone to take over transfer policy, it would be more akin to what Lennie Lawrence does for Dougie Freedman at Bolton – a right hand man.

"We're not going to create a technical director position and then bring in another manager. This would be a case of leaving Neil in place with someone to help him if we don't go down a different route.

"But this is all hypothetical – it is just one of many options – and is something the board needs to discuss while the chairman is over."

Several out-of-work managers have expressed an interest – either directly or through third parties – in succeeding Steve Lomas.

Former Sheffield Wednesday, Cardiff and Wolves boss Dave Jones, currently the 5/2 favourite with bookmakers, has been put forward by an agent.

However, it is believed the 57-year-old is out of the country and would not be available for an interview until next week.

Dennis Wise, Steve Claridge and Michael Appleton are keen on the post, while ex-Scotland boss Craig Levein and Oxford United's Chris Wilder are also contenders.

Neil Warnock and Ian Holloway are both eager to return to management and have plenty of experience in the division – but would be expensive options.

Having been overlooked in the summer, Gary Johnson could be reconsidered by the board.

However, sacked Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray would not be interested in the job.

Ambler added: "There are many names and applicants but some fit different categories and we have to decide now, having been through the experience of the last six months, the best way to take this club forward.

"Fundamentally this squad needs to be working towards Championship safety for the rest of this season.

"The chairman is coming over for the Southend game and we will take the opportunity to sit down and decide which direction we want to go in to take the club forward.

"As a board we have to decide whether we are going to go for a young, ambitious manager or somebody who has experience.

"Any manager that comes in at this stage has to be happy to work with the majority of the squad because January is not the time to make drastic changes.

"We need someone to galvanise the existing squad – it could be that the new manager brings in a couple of loanees."

"Neil Warnock and Ian Holloway are both eager to return to management and have plenty of experience in the division - but would be expensive options" - Pay peanuts and you get monkeys! If staying in this division isnt worth paying a good manager a good wage then they should have just left SL in charge and prepared for league one!

This talk of a technical director is strange! We need someone in who's going to get the best out of the players not make up jobs and p*** about! Sometimes I wonder if our board members take our club seriously!

@TheBermondseyBomber: I suppose we have to ignore all the speculation until the manager is appointed. I wouldn't be too disappointed with a short-term option which would likely keep us up this season.

Sooner or later, however, Berylson needs to decide what direction he wants the club to go in. It's a Catch 22 situation with attendances and success on the pitch. He likes to keep telling us how much he's spent on players, but I really don't see the evidence. Unless we invest properly in quality rather than quantity (free-transfers/loans/cheap managers) we'll continue to have disappointing attendances and constantly be a club in danger of relegaton.

@TheBermondseyBomber: Bomber I also heard that he saved a few quid for a new manager by flying over on a budget carrier, but we dont need directors of footbal because half the squad cant evn trap and ball and then pass it there own team mates.
We need someone who can stop us leaking a hat full of goals every time we play, and a frontman who is good for 15 goals a season, we dont neeed to pretty we just need points and wht do they make!!

@TheBermondseyBomber: ...
You’d think the “cheaper option” was tried and tested SL, and obviously didn’t work

If they decide to go down the “cheaper” option then Alex Rae might be worth a go. Ince might get the push at some point @ Blackpool, so AR would get the chance. It would be good to nick him before he gets the option. AR knows us inside out, our ethic, has managerial experience and meant to be a very good coach… a cheap but good punt perhaps?
Otherwise, they’ve got to invest with Holloway

@DiggerWall:
YEP, ON THE CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I THINK WE AS MILLWALL SUPPORTERS HAVE SUFFERED
ENOUGH, OVER THE YEARS.............
ITS ABOUT TIME JOHN BERYLSON AND THE OTHERS REALISED
WE HAVE LOST MORE THEN ENOUGH FANS, BECAUSE OF WHAT
THEY UP ABOVE LEVEL DO.....................
A DECENT MANAGER IS ALL WE WANT ...............NOT A PART - TIME
ONE.............[ AS NICE AS NEIL HARRIS IS , HE IS NOT THE MAN ].
GIVE UP THE BASE - BALL AND AMERICAN FOOTBALL BERYLSON,
OR GIVE UP MILLWALL TO SOMEBODY ELSE!!!!!!!
[ WE HAVE TO SPEAK UP AS SEASON - TICKET HIOLDERS ]

" NO ONE LIKES US , WE DON'T CARE "
STORMIN' NORMAN.............GETTING FED - UP AND ANGRY !!!!!!!
!!!!

So in other words you don't wanna pay out and are gonna put unfair pressure on Harris to do the job until the end of the season! B***** get warnock or Holloway in if you have any desire or passion for this club what so ever warnock has already said he will do it so dig deep . You owe us that much after putting through the whole Lomas fiasco stop cutting corners it doesn't work, we have all seen that over the last 6 months ffs!!!

Harris needs to stick to his decision the Board need to take stock of their decisions as they really dont have a clue in my mind what they want. AA wants to run the show on a shoestring, JB is so out of touch with AA's decisions that he's lost control of the Board and is loosing money hand over fist. unnecessary high wages to poor quality players and gates that are dropping week on week
If it weren't for the fact I paid my season ticket in belief that we'd have a chance this year to get to the playoffs, they'd loose my support until a turn round is found. But we the supporters seem to see the faults but the Board ??????

Jesus yet again its all about the ‘cheap option’ to Ambler! Some old crap with young manager (no Championship experience) and we end up going through the motions for the second half of the season to relegation. I think Amblers background is accountancy so cost-cutting and balancing the books is what he is all about, although if he does want to cut costs how about he cuts his own £250,000 a year salary instead! (Think I read that it was something in that region).

Harris has already said he doesn’t want to job and Ambler said himself it is to soon for Harris to get into management. I mean christ, he only got into actual hands-on coaching 6 months ago. This appointment would break the poor man regardless of how the players respond to him and Fitz. Warnock for me till the end of the season the ONLY option doing some background research on his managerial achievement thus far is dam impressive but he has got a backbone and an opinion not a YES-Man that the board loves so much. Jones and Holloway do have experience but just don’t think they are the right fit for us. Well what does it matter now, cheap option and League One ahoy. Disappointing, no desire or ambition yet again.

So Mr Ambler "likes what he sees" so far. What planet is he living on? It's a mess which needs sorting out very quickly, therefore the club need an experienced hand at the helm. There are people out there, it does not have to be a has-been, after all George Graham was only the youth team manager at Crystal Palace and stopped the rot at Millwall and took the club forward on a shoe string. I still favour a player manager but obviously that is not being considered. Whether people like him or not I think Wisey would keep us up, but he may not tolerate too much interference from the likes of Ambler. I hope the chairman ignores Ambler's ramblings and brings in a decent manager as soon as possible.

So we sack Lomas on Boxing day, then 8 DAYS LATER, Berylson finally decides to jet in and get things moving. Where's the fu#king urgency here!
I feel like I'm ready the same post after Kenny Jackett left with AA spouting the same b*****.
What really worries me is the following sentences:
"Any manager that comes in at this stage has to be happy to work with the majority of the squad because January is not the time to make drastic changes.
"We need someone to galvanise the existing squad - it could be that the new manager brings in a couple of loanees."
Okay, so from that, I'm assuming that we won't be spending any money on new players (no change there then!).
And then AA, you go on to say this:
'Neil Warnock and Ian Holloway are both eager to return to management and have plenty of experience in the division - but would be expensive options.'
That pretty much sums it up really. Let's take the cheap option and f*** up Neil Harris's coaching career before it's even started.
I agree with what Micky Lions said above, Berylson needs to decide what direction he wants the club to go.
If you look at someone like Dave Whelan who was prepared to sack Owen Coyle and pay him off with £500K, all because he wants his club to do well and has a general passion for his club and the sport.
Don't quite see that in JB who is rarely at our games and doesn't see the s**** performances us fans have to put up with week in, week out.
JB / AA - It's time to put up or shut up.

@Syd the Lion: Agree with much of what you say . What I find really surprising is the lack of succession planning and that's for me where Andy Ambler is culpable. It was obvious as long ago as October - after the Bournemouth game - that SL was on thin ice and at that point AA should have been drawing up a mental shortlist of say five people that the club would approach. He should then be updating this as time passes and when managers get jobs and when new ones come on the market. That's what happens in business - which is apparently that's what football is.
I find the whole thing scary - some of the names who have been mentioned are simply not better than SL. I agree with others - Warnock short term and then aim for someone like Steven Pressley or Justin Edinburgh at the end of the season. Wrong to rely on Harris/Fitzgerald. The challenge will be that Warnock if he were to come will insist on bringing a team with him also funds for transfers and some of the comments suggest this won't be available.

@saracen: Like yourself, I really wonder what's going on within our club at board level. I get the impression that JB has lost all interest in us and wouldn't be surprised to see another takeover in due course.
It's funny when you hear him say we need more fans attending games to get higher attendances. Maybe you should take a leaf out of your own book JB.
On a side note, I think what has happened this season so far shows what a great job KJ did at our club on a very limited budget.
I remember this time last year an article where JB said that the only person who would decide on KJ future was KJ himself and wasn't that the truth.
I like your sentence above that said 'What I find really surprising is the lack of succession planning and that's for me where Andy Ambler is culpable'.
Looks like KJ knew his next move, pity our board don't!

As with any period of no manager, this is all speculation. The reality is that our league fixtures in January and February will be make or break for us. That's why a new manager is needed urgently. If we go with Harris and Fitz until the end of the season, I only see relegation. That's not me knocking them, they are the people we need within our club but if we want to stay up, Jan and Feb will be crucial. Look what happened to Wolves when they went with their assistant for half a season a couple years back. The whole club needs a new direction - more discipline, more organisation, better preparation and above all, someone who can wheel and deal a bit to improve our defence and creativity. That only comes from an experienced manager with extensive contacts.

Why are we allowing the same board members who employed Lomas to interview and select the next manager. They messed up they went with not only a formner West Ham player but an inexperienced manager who had never managed in this country, Scottish football is rubbish and he did not show anything in his time here he never knew his best 11 and he never got his tactics right, now which part of the interview process proved his CV and showed the club he had the credentials to take on the role. Now all of a sudden we are looking at keeping Harris till the end of the season and looking at a tech director. Its bullsh**, we need an experienced manager who can fix the problems we have from the bottom up, our players are nervous, lacking basic skills and nobody knows our best 11, so why would we want to go for a cheap option again and end up in League 1, we will never move on unless the board invest in a manager who has the credentials, proven track record and is willing to turn our club around by investing time in the club. If anyone is using us as a gap filler they can f*** off. The board need to appoint the strongest candidate not the cheapest option, Berylson needs to ensure that the clowns who opted for Lomas are nowhere near the interview process this time round as they did not do a good enough job. In business if you employed someone who nearly cost your company afortune they would have been sacked as well, so this time Mr Berylson, show some balls and put your money where your mouth is if you really do love Millwall employ a manager capable of rebuilding the club and putting us in a stronger position and not a laughing stock which is exactly what we are at the moment. Never known a team to concede so many goals when the defence is the same as last years so it must be something technical which is wrong, that comes from the training ground and by all accounts Lomas lost that in september, no one wanted to play for him and why is that and who takes the blame............THE BOARD DOES.....

I can see where this is going - JB flies in - Neil & Scot get a good result against Southend - then he gives them the Job to the end of the season - its got poor old David Tuttle written all over it! for me - i'd like to see Warnock in for a few months - it cant cost that much - and how much is it worth to stay in this division??

i wonder if wisey would have a close affiliation with newcastle if he came in...feed the club with some players like shola ameobi who would be lethal in this division...but anyway on a serious note get cahill back in for some playing time while mls is off 🙂

They are now really taking the p***. They would happily mess up Harris's coaching career just for their own cheap agenda. To come out and say what he has said ignoring Harris's wishes is so disrepectful it is untrue. My worst fears about the boards agenda and wanting to run the club down,sell the land and move us away are edging nearer all the time. I know for a fact that the board went up against the regeneration rather than work with it and cost us a club millions. I have always thought sibce then that Berylson would prefer to sell the land we are on and walk away with a tidy profit. Remember please that he has loaned every penny to us and knows he will get it back and by moving the club away would also make a nice profit for Chestnut Ventures,his real estate company. If they do not appoint someone like Warnock I will personally of made my mind up because surely getting relegated would be more costly than whatever you would have to pay him or any other experienced manager that could sort this mess out. Please please alay my fears and appoint the right man for our club.

@wall2wall: wall, I thought that the land was owned by lewisham council and that we had a low cost 99 year term providing there was a football club there. That was the deal reg burr signed as far as I know.

And At least that was my understanding at the time we left the old den.

@bonnie1272:
I thought that we had bought the land from Lewisham Council. I actually hope your right bonnie and I am wrong so that our future is in SE London. I have taken some stick from what I am about to say but I will not go and watch Millwall if they move to Kent as they will no longer be my local team and I would be too angry.

@wall2wall: well wall, that was just my understanding. How right that is I don't know. Unlike you, whilst I was born in new cross, I am now in kent. But cold blow lane is where we belong and I would be against a move further out as well.

The expense of getting either Warnock or Holloway must be worth the alternative of league 1.

They both have a proven track record at this level and with better performances the fans would turn up again.

You already went for the cheap option and that was a f****** disaster. If you dare do it again or try and force Neil to be caretaker for the remainder of the season you will not be seeing another penny of my money as you're clearly incompetent.

All the above statements are how us fans feel right now, maybe they should all be sent to the Fan On The Board to pass onto AA and JB to digest, then we will see what the board think of us by their next appointment

@jdt1885: I wouldn't bother. I emailed him yesterday asking why we signed Hoyte and Easter without a manager in place.

The reply was pathetic and did not make an ounce of business sense, but basically went on to say strange things happen in football. After all, what business would continue to trade when losing 5m per year.

Warnock until the end of the season to keep us up then employ a foreign manager who can play football like Pochettino, or go down the route of getting Holloway on a 2-3 year deal because it is the easier option as he understands the championship. Would not mind Holloway his post match interviews would be a laugh.

The main problem here and you can now see it is that the Board took a punt of Lomas, but they never had a plan B just like him & KJ, JB should have known that we had an sub-standard squad to compete in this division, and although it may seem cold hearted they should have been talking to posssible new managers in early October after the Bournemouth game.

As Millwall supporters we know we are not going to usually be challenging for the top honours but we are a special breed and we want a manager and a team that refelcts that, tough and hard working and who dont give in even when behind, if we can get that the biggest and best 12th man would be us, but the way we are playing you are giving us nothing to get behind you for. too many players coming to us because we are in trouble looking for there last decent contract (which we always seem to let them have) and players who have been here for a long time who are now (sad to say) but should be moved on and down to continue the playing days.

JB being from across the pond may not fully understand the club he owns or the few who turn up no matter what fair they players put on but surley AA most know what is required for anyone to be at this club, the teams that have been pick by SL & NH have not set the world alight, so why not go for a bit of youth on Saturday as if we lose there are no points at stake and we need to stay up.

It's obvious that ambler is out of his depth.all this b******* about technical directors. This is millwall all we need is a decent manager & there's no shortage of those at the moment so get your finger out of your a*** & employ one.

Dave Jones - Got the championship experiance we need. Done well most places he has been.
Dennis Wise, Steve Claridge and Michael Appleton - Out of those three I would only consider Claridge who sounds very confident about what he could do - but none of them tick enough boxes.
Craig Levein and Chris Wilder - not a clue. Lomas style gamble
Neil Warnock or Ian Holloway they might be expensive options, but would have thought cheaper than relegation. Either would get my backing. Warnock as manager to the end of the season with Neal Harris as number two with a view to Harris taking over in the summer and Warnock moving upstairs or would be happy to give Ollie ago.
Gary Johnson would have been the best choice in the summer and still is now.

@Steve: I personally would not rule out Wisey, he has his faults I know but I think he would be ok and change things around to keep us up. We want someone commited, Appleton no way he would be out of his depth. But trying for the cheapest option as Ambler is trying to suggest would be disaster. I hope Neil refuses the task and keeps to the U21's, his time will come. No more prevaricating stop listening to Ambler get on and appoint a good manager JB

Steve you mention Wise and then call for a good manager, what did I miss with him last time around and will he bring back Kevin Brainiff on another three year contract and then be encouraging the rest of his entourage to jump ship just to spite us.

We have kind of an emergency situation here but I can't help feeling that our approach could not be less bureaucratic than this. It seems that we are following some sort of an internal procedure drafted by AA called 'Appointment of new manager' as the whole thing reminds me a lot to the summer saga with Lomas. Unfortunately it does not seem that there are any lessons learnt from this experience. We are going again for the cheap option hoping to 'Get lucky'. This is not looking good and is certainly not very professional but who knows this time we could really get lucky. I was rather optimistic when Lomas was appointed to end up completely disillusioned, this time I'm already pessimistic and might end up being pleasantly surprised. KTF!

I read ambler's notes after we sacked thingy ...THAT THIS TIME WE WILL GET IT RIGHT...the only thing he has done was to sign a mug of a player...JB flew home in his private jet..now he's flying back to blighty...WE'LL SAVED

Come on J.B. convince us you want this club to move forward. Pay the money for Malky Mckay, did a great job at Cardiff and wouldn't put up with players not putting in a shift. The yanks have a reputation for giving it a go, so show us your a true yank.

What a load of old b***** same old wall dont want to go for experiance cause its too expensive what b***** and now theyre going to pressure bomber to take the job even though he's said he doesnt want it.
Its b***** because we all know those experianced managers after having talks will not be interested. Of all the interested parties i'd now go for wise if it's to be the cheaper option but knowing our luck it'll be the oxford manager.
Feel sick to death with our lack of ambition yr after yr. Lomas was brought in to send us down and used as a scape goat so the board can hide behind his westham connections knowing if it goes wrong we predictable fans will jump all over him and forget it was they who appointed him and when will we learn that the people in charge couldnt give a flying f*** about millwall and what we supposedly are.
Fuckle s****.

@bonnie1272: I felt like this when lomas was appointed but held back and tried to be grown up and be positive as it was looking like a fresh start. How foolish and nieve I was to mug myself off for having faith in a millwall board.
How long has it taken the chairman to come over and sort the mess out bonn ? I'm proper fed up with this we put a lot of blame on lomas and rightly so but, we never seem to blame good old john boy. He has a massive decision to make this weekend and I wish him luck but the best decision he could make would be to get rid of a few old cronnies we have on the board as they're the one's advising him on what's best for millwall. Either they're mugging him off or collectively they're mugging us off. Why is it always the cheap option and always talk of how small a club we are so thats all we can get. We got a s*** manager who worked with no recognised name and allegedly he gets the biggest budget in our history, and he brings in well known freebies and loans, not a single fee paid, good business ? Yes, but he never worked with such players and they all lost faith in him. Now we are back in same position and the board are rambling on with the same crap as the summer.
one senario for you bonn
haris manager with warnock director of football ????????????

@lukesmithmfc: I don't want Harris Luke. Not because I dislike him, but feel that his time is down the line.

Imagine a scenario where you have just left school. To be given a job managing so called skilled workers when you haven't even learned the trade. That just does not make any sense.

I'm like u mate, I didn't think lomas was cut out for the job from the end if August. I couldn't have given one about past links, he just didn't understand us or our club. Likewise Harris isn't ready for different reasons.

I am if the opinion that we need someone who can take this squad by the scruff if the neck and sort it out. We are indeed back to square one and there is no room for error.

I personally have backed the board in previous scenarios, but if they get it wrong again, then we will be playing league one football next year and I for one will not forgive their part in the tragedy.

Back in July, my hopes were raised by all the talk and the positive signings, but we have become laughable. At the time both of us stated that whilst lomas could talk the talk, he had to learn to walk. That he never despite the financial backing was his biggest mistake.

I really hope beryl son gets this sorted and fast. Monday will be the day of reckoning in my opinion and I expect an appointment then.

However, I won't be surprised if this just goes in another week or so.

@bonnie1272: like you mate I dont want haris either he should be respected in his decision to remain with under 21s.
I think AA has missed the point with what he has seen on a day to day basis. imho what he's seeing is players happy in the knowledge they collectively got the last manager sacked because he upset just about everyone at some point and they did not trust or believe anything he had to say, so of course theyre happy and uplifted, who wouldn't be ? Those players are not as bad as they have been playing they just need to believe in a manager who has dealt with bigger egos than they have and a manager who can kick em into shape.
I also think a decision will be made early next week and also would not be surprised if it drags on til the end of the season.

So the board may decide to recruit internally if other applicants fail to impress . . That means if they can't find anyone cheap enough the job will go to Harris . . I wouldn't touch wise he isn't a successful manager. . . . And comes across as a bit of a snide. Steve Clarke would be good and not too expensive I would have thought . .

Now isn't the time to experiment. We need experience in the division so we can stay up. Look to experiment in the summer when we have time to do it.
Also you say Warnock is an expensive option, but he has publically said he does short-term jobs. From that perspective he can't be that expensive, can he?

If they haven't decided what direction they want the club to go in after years of involvement I give up. I was going to rant but have lost all energy............it is a pathetic situation and one I am embarrassed to mention with mates. If I was as inept at my job as these muppets I would be down the DSS before I could sit down. (a bit of a rant I know)